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May 8 2016

Scammers 'Spoofing' Caller ID to Fools Victims

By: BNEWS

Your phone rings. You recognize the number, but when you pick up, it’s someone else. What’s the deal?

The Federal Trade Commission reports that scammers are using fake caller ID information to trick people into thinking they are someone local, someone they trust – like a government agency or police department, or a company they do business with – like their bank or cable provider. The practice is called caller ID spoofing, and scammers don’t care whose phone number they use. One scammer recently used the phone number of an FTC employee.

Don’t rely on caller ID to verify who’s calling. It can be nearly impossible to tell whether the caller ID information is real. Here are a few tips for handling these calls:

If you get a strange call from the government, hang up. If you want to check it out, visit the official website for contact information. Government employees won’t call out of the blue to demand money or account information.

Don’t give out — or confirm — your personal or financial information to someone who calls.

Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card. In fact, never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.